Vinicius Junior: Ballon D'Or Man City Banner Gives Me More Strength

Vinicius Junior became the best player in the Man City vs Real Madrid match amid the satire of the Ballon d'Or (Instagram/@realmadrid).

Vinicius Junior said a banner from Manchester City fans - who supported Rodri in the race for the Ballon d'Or - helped him to appear as the best player in Real Madrid's 3-2 win over The Citizens in the Champions League on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, early morning WIB.

Fans at the Etihad unfurled banners ahead of the knockout first leg which showed Manchester City midfielder Rodri, with the 2024 Ballon d'Or trophy he won beating Vinicius last year.

The banner was also accompanied by the title writing of the song Oasis, Stop Crying Your Heart Out.

Vinicius was named the Best Player of the Match by UEFA after becoming a star for Real Madrid in that match.

He did not score, but provided assists for the winner's goal scored by Jude Bellingham in the 92nd minute by bouncing the pass past Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson.

"I saw that (spanduk). However, when an opposing fan does something, it always gives me more power to play a great game."

"Here, I did. (Manchester City) knows our history, everything we have done in this tournament," Vinicius told Movistar.

As is known, Real Madrid boycotted the Ballon d'Or ceremony in October 2024, in protest over Vinicius' failure to win trophies.

Not surprisingly, Los Blancos manager, Carlo Ancelotti, supports Vinicius, who apparently has great motivation to silence the public of Etihad.

"I don't know if Vini saw it. However, after seeing the game, if he saw it, it would be a big motivation for him," coach Carlo Ancelotti told a news conference after the game.

Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola said he did not see the banner, admitting that Vinicius was an extraordinary player.

Meanwhile, Ancelotti said his team had little advantage in the game after winning 3-2. You see, the second leg will take place next week at the Santiago Bernabeu.

"This is the way. We've been talking about it for a long time. The season really starts now."

"Despite all the difficulties we faced, we got very good results."

"Four defenders behind (Raul Asencio, Aurelien Tchouameni, Federico Valverde, and Ferland Mendy) have never played together or even trained together."

"They played very spectacularly. From this emergency situation, we got something good," said Ancelotti.

Ancelotti said he expects two other senior defenders - Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba - to be available for the second leg.